Christmas Eve Pancakes

Every year, we have pancakes for Christmas Eve dinner. Last year was Santa with red M&Ms, marshmallows and whipped cream. This year we went slightly healthier with Christmas trees with whipped cream and sprinkles. Such an easy thing and the kids think we are sooo cool!

Add in some hot chocolate and they were all asleep by 9 pm.

Four Feet

Adds up to reindeer shirts!

Merry Christmas!

Smarty

Munchkin kept finding old pairs of glasses and wearing them around the house. Hubby and I were worried about her damaging her eyes since she doesn't NEED prescription glasses. Finally, I found an old pair of the Boy's glasses from when he was about her age. I popped out the lenses and VIOLA!

She's been wearing them for 3 days now. Thumbelina told her she looked weird, and made Munchkin cry before she admitted that she just wanted a pair of her own. So we popped the lenses out of hubby's old pair and now I have three kids that wear glasses.

"Helping"

While the other kids were decorating the tree, Squirt was eating gingerbread men.

I mean, helping decorate.

Getting Ready for Christmas

Santa showed up to our ward Christmas breakfast.

Squirt was not thrilled with the idea of sitting on this man's lap but she did really well considering her track record with strangers.

She didn't smile or laugh but she didn't cry either.

After naps, we went into the mountains and cut a tree. It isn't the best, most symmetrical tree but, since the snow was up to hubby's knees and Thumbelina and the boy were with him, this became the perfect tree!

90+ ornaments, 5 strands of sparkly garland and tinsel, 500 gold shimmery icicles, two strands of rope lights, assorted homemade ornaments and one giant star combined to make the best Christmas tree ever!!! Designed and decorated by the kids.


Saturday was hubby's birthday, but we decided to put it off for a month and have a giant celebration with Me, Hubby and Munchkin in January once we are into our new house.

Hitting Important Milestones

Thumbelina's first ponytail by herself.
Why does wearing a school sweatshirt make Thumbelina seem so grown up?! Even though Munchkin is almost as tall as her.

Munchkin makes her own lunch most days. And I happily let her!

And finally, what post would be complete without a funny picture of Squirt?

She loves to eat cereal with milk...and most of the time will eat it all with little mess. But sometimes, she gets bored and dumps it onto the table to eat it.

The Babe Wrapped in Swaddling Clothes

Char at Crap I've Made is hosting a Nativity Parade. I love looking at Linky Parties but rarely link up...so in the spirit of sharing:

I found these guys at Honks. They are so cute! Not quite sure what I'll do with them since it's just a shepherd and two wisemen, but maybe someday I can find a whole set.

Those are my nativities--minus one softie set that my mother-in-law made for the kids that they play with all year. I don't know where they put it.

I want to make a block set for the kids and another big set for me with each member of the nativity embroidered and framed in different sized frames and then the whole arrangement on the mantle.

Merry Christmas!

Check out all the other Nativities.

Sometimes Solo is a No-Go

I am finishing up our Christmas cards and wasn't happy with one of the pictures I'd chosen. So while hubby was taking a test, I spiffed the kids up and took them down by the river. (Too bad we don't have a van!) Mostly, they were cooperative...the older ones anyway. Squirt had her own ideas about how things would go.

This one would've been good if she'd only stayed in the frame.

I love this face! It's her sneaky face. Like-Mom will never notice I am sneaking out of the picture!

It was a valiant effort but without hubby there to help keep them together, not as productive as I'd hoped. But I did get a decent picture.

Dear Santa

Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? Happiness above all else

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition? Slurpees in light-up cups left by Santa. We set up one Santa present the night before and use special wrapping for the others. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast---if they can tear themselves away from the candy!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? Enough money for date night with my husband every week.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? We make a lot of homemade things. Advent calendar with special activities each night. Go see the lights at Temple Square. Spend as much time together as a family as we can.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? Uno

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Decorate the day after Thanksgiving.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip? Visit the family in Washington. We are the only ones that don't live up there so it is fun to be able to spend time together.

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? Top three include a Wii, Xbox 360 with Kinect, and Your shape fitness evolved so hubby and I can hopefully lose some weight.

Temple Challenge

Last month, the kids were challenged in Primary to visit temples in Utah. So far, we have been to three. Salt Lake--two days after Thanksgiving so the lights would be on. Always enthralled by the fountains

And any type of water feature.

We decided on this shot because the stone slab had a waiting line.

Squirt was less than thrilled about the whole thing.

Mount Timpanogos for Family Night

And the Provo temple

The kids are having so much fun checking them off their lists. They were very upset with us when we wouldn't let them roll down the hill at the Provo Temple.

Happy Thanksgiving 2010

The real star baker behind Thanksgiving:

Otherwise known as, "Where did my hotpad go?!!!!"

She worked so hard stealing hotpads that she didn't make it to the big meal.

Desserts: Yes, there were only 6 of us--but you gotta have variety! And dessert for 2 weeks!

Dinner: Mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potatoes with crumb topping and marshmallows ...

And RIBS!!!

Thumbelina was too into her ribs to smile for a picture. And then Squirt woke up and we had to blow out all the candles.

It was so good!!! And there are so many leftovers! Our kids are already sick of them.

It was a good day. We ate, watched movies, played games, ate dessert, played one more game (Memory--I won!), and sent to kids to the playroom to watch a show and sleep.

We Love Us Some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Winter

Winter is here. No doubt about it. Snow, cold temperatures, patches of ice waiting for me to slip. But I choose to not think about it. You see, if you don't venture out into the frozen wasteland, you hardly think about it. So I wear shorts and t shirts...mainly because Squirt won't keep anything on her feet so the heater is keeping the house toastier than normal. Denial. Works for me. And these two in my backyard:

'I still have pears---it's not winter!'

'Look at my beautiful leaves. These are FALL leaves---it's not winter!'

And then there are those who embrace the frosty season: The boy pretending to get shot on the trampoline...over and over.

It was awesome to watch! From the warmth of inside.

Sweet Justice

A few weeks back, Hubby called on his way home from class to tell me he'd gotten a parking ticket. My first thought was--didn't we pay $80 for a parking permit?! He told me how he'd come out of class, walked to his car, and found the ticket. He also found his parking permit missing. So he went to the parking police office and explained the situation to them. They had him fill out some paperwork to get out of the ticket and get a new pass. While he was filling this out, the parking police office person called the actual parking police guy out giving tickets. Hubby's ticket was given within the last hour, and he would look around for his permit. 5 minutes later the guy called back. He'd found the permit in another car, and would bring it to the office. While hubby was waiting for his permit to be returned, he asked what would happen to the person who took it.

* Car impounded
**Actual theft charges filed

Hubby then asked how much the impound fee would be.

***$300

Lessons learned:

1. Lock your car doors in the school parking lot.
2. $80 permit is less than $300 impound fee
3. UVU parking police don't mess around!

House in Order

Halloween is over. I have been so focused on getting everything ready for Halloween that my other chores have been neglected. Here are some hilights of the Halloween things and then I am off to fix the disaster that has become my house.

Jack O Lantern carving. The boy picked the flaming skull, Thumbelina picked the star eyes and heart mouth, and Munchkin picked Mickey Mouse. Squirt got what she got since she was taking a nap when we carved them.

Lots of blood for the boy---of course!

Lots of glitter for the mermaid---even if she is wearing snowboots.

The whole gang.

Complete with ninja moves.

Now I have to fix my house so I can do my Sharing Time for Sunday!

Two DONE!!!

My original goal was to be done with Halloween costumes by Saturday. My new goal is to be finished tomorrow. I think I can make it. I just have to finish the mermaid skirt now. YAY ME!

How cute is my little clown?! Even with a double ear infection.

Trauma

It seems like Munchkin is more accident prone than the other kids. When she was about 2, she pulled the TV down on her head...twice. She is always running into things, tripping over nothing and just generally banging herself up. But Sunday was a doozy. She was putting her clothes away, standing on Squirt's bed like always, when her drawer fell out. She lost her balance and did a header into the empty drawer hole. She got medicine, bandaids and to watch a show in Mom and Dad's bed.

About an hour later, she was ready to go to church...where everyone asked her what happened to her nose.

She also got 3 scratches by her eye. The boy came up later and asked what happened to her and I told him that Wolverine got her. He didn't believe me.